Girls’ Education: PAGED Initiative Partners Solacebase

Participatory Communication for Gender Development (PAGED) Initiative a non-governmental organization is partnering with SOLACEBASE online newspaper to conduct participatory research, advocacy, and media project on access to education for girls in Kaduna and Kano.

Independent Mirror report that paged Initiative Program Director, Hajia Ummi Bukar announced this on Tuesday during a working visit to the corporate office of SOLACEBASE, in Kano.

Bukar said the choice of SOLACEBASE for the actualization of its program is key considering the credibility, the numbers of viewers to the website, and followers on social media.

She said the program is aimed at breaking barriers to girls’ education and building the capacity of young women in society.

  (R-L) Ummi Bukar, Program Director,       Abdullateef Abubakar Jos, Editor-in-Chief,  Bilikisu Irama, Program Office and Samira Usman, Senior Digital Journalist

‘’The program is a two-year project holding in six communities of five local government areas of Kano and three local governments in five communities in Kaduna States focusing on specific communities in the areas,’’ Ummi Bukar said.

According to her, the beneficiary local government areas in Kano are, Kumbotso, Warawa, Makorda, Sumaila, and Karaye. While that of Kaduna includes Kaduna North, Kaduna South, and Chikun local government areas.

‘’The project is media driven so that we can easily equip the girls and women with requisite skills and knowledge so as for them to be able to contribute their quotas to nation development.’’

The Program Director noted that part of the strategies to be employed is the use of mobile cinemas to showcase films of women that have benefitted from the project and their success stories.

‘’Similarly, after using the beneficiaries of our program in other states, we would then be using the success story of those beneficiaries in these two states over a period of time.’’

She added that the beneficiaries would be selected by the community leaders and volunteers in the program would include students from higher institutions.

On his part, SOLACEBASE, Editor-in-Chief, Abdullateef Abubakar Jos, expressed happiness over the partnership noting that the media organization gives much importance to girl child development.

Malam Jos said SOLACEBASE established six years ago focuses much on investigative journalism, accountability reporting, community-based issues, gender reportage and solution journalism.

He noted that presently the organization is in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Nigeria Media Innovation Program (NAMIP), and Civic Media Lab.

He assured of the organization’s willingness to partner with PAGED Initiative to achieve efforts directed at girl child education and development.

Solacebase.